TV SUMMER TOUR ’14 black-ish Won’t Just Be A Comedy, But a Watercooler Moment!

ABC’s upcoming series black-ish follows the trials of a black family that has achieved the American dream, but may have lost some of their cultural identity along the way.

That leads to some pretty funny situations as family patriarch Andre “Dre” Johnson (played by funnyman Anthony Anderson) tries to bring it back via Rites of Passage ceremonies and Bro-mitzvahs.

Show creator Kenya Barris, who along with fellow executive producers Larry Wilmore, series stars Laurence Fishburne and Anderson, Helen Sugland and E. Brian Dobbins, are basing the comedy on their real-life explorations of cultural identity. “This is not just about black culture but the world that we’re living in,” shared Kenya, pointing out that America is a country comprised of different cultures, and every American family can relate to maintaining a piece of theirs.

“We want to have a show that says something on a weekly basis, that’s really important to us,” he continued. “When you have some type of obstacle to overcome, and if you can deal with it in an honest and funny way, that’s where the best comedy comes from.”

Kenya’s dream is that certain themes of the show can truly resonate with its audience. “We want people to say the next day, ‘I didn’t know that,’ or ‘I didn’t think that before.’ Hopefully, this can be a water cooler show.”